Tubi Acquires Rights to Stream DC Movies like ‘Black Adam,’ ‘Wonder Woman’; Is Zaslav Giving DC Team a Push?
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has indicated in the past that shows licensed to third-party streamers aren’t drawing the best engagement on Max.
There will soon be a new selection of superheroes to stream on Tubi. According to an exclusive report from Variety, the free ad-supported streaming platform from Fox has acquired the rights to stream a variety of DC Comics properties from Warner Bros. Discovery that were previously exclusive to Max.
- Tubi’s on-demand library will get movies like “The Batman” and “Wonder Woman” as well as TV series like “Gotham” in early 2024.
- WBD CEO David Zaslav has indicated in the past that content performing poorly on Max was more likely to be licensed to other streamers.
- DC Studios got new executives last fall, but thus far has not produced any hits for the company.
When Will DC Titles Arrive on Tubi?
The new licensing deal between Tubi and Warner Bros. Discovery will see a wide variety of DC titles be made available to stream on the free platform. Animated titles like “Batman: Death in the Family” and “The Death of Superman” will hit Tubi in December, and live-action titles like “Black Adam” and other recent DC theatrical releases will follow in early 2024.
“The addition of recent blockbuster movies and fan-favorite series from the DC library is a monumental offering for Tubi viewers,” Tubi chief content officer Adam Lewinson told Variety. “We’re so pleased to have such wonderful partners at Warner Bros. Discovery, who are expanding the reach of their superhero franchise films and series that are destined to draw new audiences and fandoms with Tubi’s highly engaged viewers.”
In addition to the DC deal, WBD renewed the licensing agreement that allows Tubi to stream 13 of its free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels, as well as signing a new deal for the licensing of 10 more FAST networks. Many titles from these channels will also be available to stream on-demand on Tubi.
Is Zaslav Pushing Gunn, Safran for Better Results?
The move to license DC content to Tubi is more or less in line with WBD’s wider corporate strategy of monetizing its video library to the hilt. Netflix is still licensing a collection of HBO original shows from WBD, including “Ballers,” “Band of Brothers,” “Six Feet Under” and more.
That arrangement has led to better engagement for both Netflix and Max, which is a big reason why they were licensed in the first place. WBD CEO David Zaslav has indicated that he isn’t interested in licensing out content that performs really well on Max alone, so the decision to send DC titles to Tubi is a somewhat damning indictment of their ratings on Max.
DC Studios brought on new blood in October of 2022 to try and revitalize its release schedule. Director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran have been co-CEOs of the studio ever since, but they have largely failed to improve on the performance of DC movies, either with critics or at the box office. Despite decent reviews, the studio’s latest feature “Blue Beetle” made just $129 million in ticket sales, against a budget of $104 million.
The DC universe is already planning a massive reset, and the upcoming “Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom” will be the last release from the old schedule. But while Gunn and Safran may have several projects in various stages of development, outwardly it seems all they’ve done is release movies that the studio was down on before the pair were hired.
The shifting of DC titles to Tubi is a clear sign from Zaslav that he expects more from Gunn and Safran going forward. With the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes officially over, and with Marvel seemingly losing the Midas touch that for so long cast DC projects in an especially unfavorable light with audiences, the opportunity exists for DC to assert itself with fans. But the quality of titles released will have to improve for that to happen, and that will fall on Gunn and Safran to accomplish.
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